Apparatus And Methods For Producing Oil and Plugging Blowouts

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for producing oil from a well comprises a flexible semi-circular shaped skirt with an indentation. A plurality of rods is secured to the skirt and form radially emanating channels in the skirt. The skirt is secured to a hollow drill string via the indentation. The drill string has a drill bit at one end, a distal section above the drill bit, and a holding section above the distal section to which the skirt is operatively coupled. A movable sleeve is selectively wrapped around the skirt to keep the skirt in a closed position. A release that is interactive with the sleeve selectively allows the skirt to move from the closed position to an open position, and an outer area covered by the skirt increases as the skirt moves from the closed position to the open position. The open skirt abuts against and plugs the well.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The Application claims priority to provisional application, Ser. No. 61/360,851 filed on Jul. 1, 2010, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosed subject matter is directed to the production of oil from an oil well, and to a technology for eliminating the flow of oil and gas from a blowout.

BACKGROUND

Drilling a well for the production of oil is an involved process, and different types of drill strings may be used to effectuate the drilling. A drill string is a column or string of drill pipe, and the term drill string is loosely applied to the assembled collection of the drill pipe, drill collars, and a drill bit. Drill collars are thick walled pipes that, by virtue of their heavy weight, aid the drill bit in the drilling process. Drilling fluid, which is also known as “mud” by those versed in the art and which consists of carefully tailored solids and chemicals, is pumped down the inside of the hollow drill string. The mud cools the drill bit as it drills, stabilizes the rock in the well walls, and lifts the rock cuttings generated by the drilling up to the surface. The mud can then be recycled and re-used. Instead of a rigid drill pipe, the drill string may comprise flexible coiled tubing. A drill string with a rigid drill pipe generally has to be assembled joint by joint, the successive sections being added with increasing depth of the well; a coiled tubing drilling string, on the other hand, comprises flexible tubing instead of the rigid drill pipe, and need not be assembled joint by joint. A coiled tubing drilling string, therefore, can be tripped in and out of the well at a much faster speed than a drill string with a rigid drill pipe. Similarly, hybrid drill strings, which combine the rigidity of the drill pipe but reduce, if not eliminate, the need to assemble the pipe in parts, may also be employed. Coiled tubing drill strings and hybrid coiled tubing drill strings are known in the art.

Once an oil well is drilled, it may be plugged and abandoned as a dry hole. If, however, oil is to be produced from the well, the well must undergo a process referred to as “well completion.” To complete the well, the hole of the well may be cased. Casing involves aligning the wall of the well with hollow pipes made of steel or other suitable materials. Generally, these pipes are of different diameters, which are joined together to make a continuous hollow tube. The diameters of these pipes are dependent upon the depth or level of the well, and are selected under a program referred to as a “casing program.”

FIG. 1 depicts a conventional casing program, and shows how the pipes decrease in diameter with increasing well depth. A conductor pipe 10 has the greatest diameter, and is connected to surface casing 12. The surface casing 12 is in-turn connected to an intermediate casing 14, which is adjoined to a production casing 16, the surface casing 12 having a greater diameter than the intermediate casing 14, and the intermediate casing 14 having a greater diameter than the production casing 16. Casing is integral for the production of oil from a well, as without the casing, the well may collapse and close. Moreover, casing protects the well stream from outside incumbents, such as water or sand etc. The casing is cemented to the walls of the well, which helps to permanently position the casing within the well. Cement slurry, which consists of cement and certain additives, is pumped into the well. The cement slurry displaces the existing mud in the well, and seals the outside of the different casings to the well hole walls.

The well-completion may be of different types. Open-hole completion refers to a well that is drilled to the top of the hydrocarbon reservoir where it is not cased. Open-hole completions are generally used for reservoirs that are well-known and defined. On the other hand, cased-hole completions require the casing to be run into the reservoir. After the cement slurry dries, perforations 18 are created in the sides of the well by a perforation gun. These perforations 18 perforate through the production casing 16 and the cement, and allow the hydrocarbons outside the well hole to enter into the well stream. Tubing 20 may then be used to bring the oil up to the surface. A wellhead and a Christmas tree are generally installed at the surface of the well, and include tubing heads, casing heads, valve controls etc., to provide surface control of the subsurface conditions of the well.

Sometimes, because of a miscalculation, malfunction, or unexpected subsurface conditions etc., a blowout occurs. A blowout is the uncontrolled release of crude oil and/or natural gas from an oil well or gas well after pressure control systems have failed. Often, to remedy the situation, a relief well is drilled close to the production well. Drilling a relief well that attempts to penetrate the rather narrow pipe of the blowout well that is buried in sea-bed many thousands of feet below the sea floor is a complex and timely process, which does not have a very high probability of success. The relief well trajectory has to be guided with electromagnetic signals, and the drilling bit for the relief well must be directed until it is running adjacent and parallel to the blowout well, in preparation for penetrating the casing of the blowout well. Next, the relief well must inject the blowout well with drilling mud and cement in an attempt to stem the flow of oil and gas under very high pressure. As manifested by a recent spill, the development and implementation of plans for such an effort may take many months, and have not always been successful for various reasons, including for example, insufficient density of the drilling mud.

SUMMARY

The present invention discloses apparatus and methods for the production of oil, and to stop the flow of oil and gas from a blowout well.

According to one embodiment, an apparatus for producing oil from a well comprises a flexible semi-circular shaped skirt, which has a curved edge and an internal edge. The internal edge has an indentation at its center, which divides the internal edge into two segments. A plurality of rods, each having a front end and a rear end, are secured to the skirt and form radially emanating channels in the skirt. The front ends are secured adjacent the indentation, and the rear ends are secured adjacent the skirt curved edge. The skirt is secured to a hollow drill string via the indentation, and the internal edge segments are secured to each other. The drill string has a drill bit at one end, a distal section above the drill bit, and a holding section above the distal section to which the skirt is operatively coupled such that rear ends of the rods are farther away from the distal section than the front ends. A movable sleeve is selectively wrapped around the skirt to keep the skirt in a closed position. A release that is interactive with the sleeve selectively allows the skirt to move from the closed position to an open position, and an outer area covered by the skirt increases as the skirt moves from the closed position to the open position.

In another embodiment, a method to produce liquid from a well comprises the steps of first producing an apparatus that has a flexible semi-circular shaped skirt which has a curved edge and an internal edge. The internal edge has an indentation at its center, and divides the internal edge into two segments. A plurality of rods is secured to the skirt, and form radially emanating channels in the skirt. The rods have a front end and a rear end, the front ends are secured adjacent the indentation, and the rear ends are secured adjacent the skirt curved edge. A hollow drill string has a drill bit at one end, a distal section above the drill bit, and a holding section above the distal section. The distal section is configured to have openings to allow the liquid to flow into the drill string. The holding section is operatively coupled to the skirt at the indentation, such that rear ends of the rods are farther away from the distal section than the front ends, and the internal edge segments are secured to each other. Next, a movable sleeve is selectively wrapped around the skirt to keep the skirt in a closed position. A release that is interactive with the sleeve selectively allows the skirt to move from the closed position to an open position, and an outer area covered by the skirt increases as the skirt moves from the closed position to the open position. The apparatus is lowered past a lower most point of the well into a liquid layer by rotating and advancing the drill bit. The release is then activated after the apparatus has been submerged in the liquid layer. Next, the string is hoisted towards the surface as if to trip the string out, and this motion thereby causes liquid to fill into the skirt and plugs the liquid well with the skirt. Openings are provided in the distal section to allow the liquid to enter into and be transported by the drill string towards a surface.

According to yet another embodiment, a method to stop a flow of liquid and gas from a blowout comprises the steps of first producing an apparatus that has a flexible semi-circular shaped skirt having a curved edge and an internal edge, the internal edge having an indentation at its center that divides the internal edge into two segments. The apparatus further has a plurality of rods that are secured to the skirt and form radially emanating channels in the skirt. The rods have front and rear ends, and the front ends are secured adjacent the indentation and the rear ends are secured adjacent the skirt curved edge. The apparatus further comprises a hollow drill string having a drill bit at one end. The skirt is operatively coupled to the drill string such that rear ends of the rods are farther away from the drill bit than the front ends, and the internal edge segments are secured to each other. Second, the method includes lowering of the apparatus past a lower most point of the well into a liquid layer by rotating and advancing the drill bit, the advancement being at a speed greater than the speed of the outflow. Third, the drill string is released and allowed to move back towards the surface, which fills liquid into the skirt and plugs the well with the skirt. Finally, the plugged well is filled with mud and cement and sealed permanently.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a PRIOR ART casing program.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a tipi skirt according to an embodiment set forth herein;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the tipi skirt in an open position;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the tipi skirt while it is in a closed position on a drill string;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of the tipi skirt on the drill string as it is lowered into a well;

FIG. 6. is a side elevation view of the tipi skirt in operation to plug an oil well.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The disclosure set forth herein provides an apparatus and methods for producing oil from an oil well, as well as stopping the flow of oil and gas from a blowout.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show a tipi skirt 100 in accordance with the current invention. The TIPI skirt 100 is constructed of strong fabric 102, which is composed of Kevlar or other suitably strong, flexible and generally impermeable materials. As shown in FIG. 2, the fabric 102 is cut in the shape of a semi-circle, and has a curved edge 104 and an internal edge 106. A semi-circular indentation 108 is cut into the fabric 102 at around the center of the internal edge 106, and has a curved edge 108 c. The indentation 108 need not, however, necessarily be semi-circular. As shown in FIG. 2, the indentation 108 divides the internal edge 106 into two segments 106 a, and 106 b.

A plurality of rods 110, which are made of high tensile strength metal such as high alloy steel, titanium, or other suitably rigid materials, are then sown into the fabric 102 or glued thereon. The rods 110, which have a front end 110 f and a rear end 110 r, extend from the curved edge 104 to the indentation curved edge 108 c, and divide the fabric 102 into a plurality of channels 112; said differently, the rod rear ends 110 r are adjacent the fabric curved edge 104, and the rod front ends 110 f are adjacent and extend up to the indentation curved edge 108 c. As the perimeter of the skirt curved edge 104 is greater than the perimeter of indentation curved edge 108 c, the distance between the rear ends 110 r of two successive rods is usually greater than the distance between those same rods' front ends 110 f. There may be a dozen or more of these rods 110 in every tipi skirt 100.

As shown in FIG. 3, the skirt 100 is secured to a rigid ring 114 via the indentation 108 (FIG. 2), and the internal edge segments 106 a, and 106 b are secured to each other. The segments 106 a, and 106 b may be secured to each other by sewing them together, or by other known methods such as stapling or gluing etc. The skirt 100 thus produced is conical in shape, similar to a Tipi (tepee) tent. The skirt 100 can be opened, or it can be closed, much like a tent or umbrella, as discussed in further detail below, and akin to an umbrella, an outer area covered by the skirt 100 is greater when the skirt 100 is in the open position than when the skirt 100 is in the closed position (compare, for e.g., the closed skirt in FIGS. 4 and 5 to the open skirt in FIG. 6). The skirt 100, in conjunction with the drill that was used to drill the well, can be used for the production of oil. Instead of using the production casing 16 and tubing 20 as discussed in the background section (FIG. 1), or even if the production casing 16 is present, the skirt 100 is affixed to a hollow drill string 200, as shown in FIG. 4. The drill string 200 has a drill bit 204 at a lower end, which is used to cut the rocks to drill the well. The drill string 200 also has a hollow distal section 206 above the drill bit 204, and a hollow holding section 207 above the distal section 206.

The distal section 206 of the hollow drill string 200 may or may not be modified to have windows 202 (FIG. 5). If present, these windows 202 can be hydraulically or mechanically opened and closed from an oil rig (not shown). Or, much like the perforations 18 made in the production casing 16 (FIG. 1), a perforation gun can be lowered into the hollow drill string 200 and create similar perforations in the distal section 206.

The skirt 100, with the aid of the ring 114, is secured to the holding section 207 (FIG. 4). The diameter of the string 200 and the drill bit 204 must be less than the diameter of the intermediate casing 14 (FIG. 1) (and the well hole and production casing 16, if used) such that the string 200 can be lowered through the entirety of the well. The skirt 100 is initially placed on the holding section 207 in a closed position, i.e., the skirt 100 is wrapped around the string 200. Maintaining the closed position of the skirt 100 may be effectuated by a hydraulically activated sliding sleeve 208 (FIGS. 4 and 5), as is known in the art. Or, the sliding sleeve 208 may be mechanically controlled from the rig. The sleeve 208 may also be a lock or release that, for example, is radio controlled. Similarly, the sleeve 208 can be slid from the skirt 100 and made to rest at a section of the string 200 above the skirt 100, or moved such that the sleeve 208 no longer hinders the opening of the skirt 100.

As shown in FIG. 5, the string 200 can now be lowered into the well, such that the distal section 206 and the skirt 100 are fully submerged in the oil reservoir beneath a lower most point of the well hole 211 (or a lower most end of the production casing 212, if present, as shown in FIG. 6). The sliding sleeve 208 is now slid or opened, which in-turn allows the skirt 100 to open. Much like umbrellas, which often needs to be agitated and shook after their respective sleeves have been unlocked to ensure that the umbrella opens properly, the skirt 100 may also be vigorously agitated and shook (“jarred”) after the sleeve 208 no longer constrains the skirt 100, to ensure that the skirt 100 opens, at least to some degree. The string 200 may now be hoisted back towards the surface, as if to trip the string 200 out. This upward motion of the drill string 200 causes the attached skirt 100 to fill with oil and fully unfold/open; the drill string 200 continues to move towards the surface, which causes the open skirt 100 to surround, be anchored by, and plug the well hole, as shown in FIG. 6, and stop the upward motion of the string 200. Cameras could be used in conjunction with the string 200 to ensure proper placement of the skirt 100. In effect, the closed skirt 100 is slid past the lower most part of the well hole 211 into the oil layer, or the production casing end 212 (FIG. 6), where the skirt 100 is opened, thereby increasing an outer area covered by the skirt 100, and the open skirt 100 abuts against and plugs the hole 211.

The windows 202 (if available, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6) can now be opened remotely from the rig. Or, if the string 200 does not have windows 202 (as in FIG. 4), a perforation gun can be lowered into the string distal section 206 and create perforations on the sides of the distal section 206. Much like the production casing 16 and tubing 20 in FIG. 1, oil will enter the drill string 200 through the windows 202 or perforations, and will rise up to the surface where it can be collected after the drill string 200 is operatively connected to the Wellhead and Christmas tree.

Once production is complete, heavy mud and cement slurry can be pumped into the drill string 200 and the wellhead to seal the well. This technology will help minimize the chance of a blowout because the pressure in the oil layer is controlled by the operator of the skirt 100; in effect, the pressure created is allowed to act only on the sides of the drill string 200 through the windows 202 or perforations. Moreover, in the case of a blowout, as the hole of the oil well is plugged by the skirt 100, the oil will be unable to reach the surface with high pressure, but will deflect off the skirt 100 and remain in the reservoir, or come up to the surface via the string 200, where it can be properly stored and processed.

This technology can also be used to stop the flow from a blowout that has already occurred. As the blowout from a well generates the outflow at a high pressure, it is difficult to pour cement slurry into the well to seal the well hole, i.e., the cement slurry is pushed out before it gets a chance to dry. As explained in the background section, drilling a relief well can also be an arduous task. Notwithstanding the high pressure of the outflow, the string 200, with the skirt 100 attached to the holding section 207 can be advanced into the well by rotating and advancing the drill bit 204, so long as the speed of the rotating/advancing drill bit 204 is greater than the speed of the outflow. Calculations to measure the speed of the outflow are known in the art, and depend on known or readily computable values, such as the length and the volume of the oil well. It should be noted that the speed of the rotating/advancing drill bit 204 should preferably only be slightly greater than the speed of the outflow, which would minimize the disturbance created by the drill bit 204, and otherwise facilitate the progression of the string 200 against the outflow in a more controller manner. Also, the pressure of the outflow will eliminate the need for a sliding sleeve 208 to keep the skirt 100 in a closed position, as the outflow of oil will exert pressure on the fabric 102 and keep the skirt 100 in a closed position by itself; thus, a sliding sleeve 208 may or may not be used with the skirt 100 where the skirt 100 is being used to stop an existing blowout. Or, a sleeve 208 comprising of plastic may be used, which may readily shred once the skirt 100 has advanced and opened up beyond the end of the well 211 or the production casing 212.

As in the scenario for production, the diameter of the string 200 and the drill bit 204 must be less than the different types of casings and the well hole, so that the skirt 100 can be submerged into the oil reservoir beyond the lower most point of the well hole 211 and/or the end of the production casing 212. As with production, cameras may be used to guide the movement of the drill string 200. The string 200 with the skirt 100 is lowered into the blowout well, and advanced a distance beyond the length of the well, or the end of the production casing 212 if present (FIG. 6), until the whole skirt 100 is immersed into the oil layer. The drill bit 204 is rotated and advanced to aid in the progression of the skirt 100 against the outflow. Once the skirt 100 has progressed beyond the lower most point of the well 211 or the end of the production casing 212, the drill string 200 is released. If the skirt 100 has a sliding sleeve 208, the sleeve 208 is slid over or opened so that it no longer curtails the skirts' 100 opening.

The pressure of the oil alone will try to push the drill string 200 out of the well, which will cause the skirt 100 to fill with oil and open. Additionally, as in production, the skirt 100 may be agitated by jarring the drill string 200 to ensure that the skirt 100 opens at least to some degree, so as to enable the skirt 100 to fill with oil and open completely. The opened skirt 100 will abut against the opening of the well and act like a stop as depicted in FIG. 6. The pressure of the oil will push on the skirt 100 and maintain its conical shape. Thus, the skirt 100 will sustainably cover the end of the blowout well like a stop. By virtue of its geometrical shape, the skirt 100 will be kept in place and not be easily knocked off.

All the distances used above should be well calculated in advance so that the operation is done very quickly: the drill string 200 is sent down the well rapidly and then released, allowing the chain of events to unfold by itself to stop the leak. At that time, the pressure in the well is neutralized and flow is stopped, and an operator may begin pouring drilling mud and cement into the wellhead and drill string 200 immediately until the well is filled up. As discussed, the drill string 200 with rigid pipes is increased in length by adding sections joint by joint, so as to enable the drill string 200 to reach a lower most point of the well 211 (FIGS. 5 and 6). Where the skirt 100 is being used to stop an existing blowout, coil tubing drill string 200 or a hybrid coil tubing drill string 200 may be used instead of a jointed drill string 200, with the skirt 100 secured to a rigid section of the coiled tubing drill string 200. As is known in the art, the already assembled hybrid coil tubing can then simply be run into the well and tripped out, without the need to be assembled joint by joint. This would provide the added benefit of not having to spend any more time assembling the drill string 200 while it is being advanced into the well, and thus, not interfering with the speed of its progression against the pressure of the blowout oil. In this way, the skirt 100 can be immersed beyond the lower most point of the well 211 or the end of the production casing 212 in a prompt manner.

Many different arrangements of the various components depicted, as well as components not shown, are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Embodiments of the present invention have been described with the intent to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Alternative embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art that do not depart from its scope. A skilled artisan may develop alternative means of implementing the aforementioned improvements without departing from the scope of the present invention.

It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations and are contemplated within the scope of the claims. Not all steps listed in the various figures need be carried out in the specific order described. 

1. An apparatus for producing oil from a well, the apparatus comprising: a flexible semi-circular shaped skirt having a curved edge and an internal edge, the internal edge having an indentation at its center that divides the internal edge into two segments; a plurality of rods secured to the skirt forming radially emanating channels therein, the rods having a front end and a rear end, the front ends secured adjacent the indentation, and the rear ends secured adjacent the skirt curved edge; a hollow drill string having a drill bit at one end, and having a distal section adjacent the drill bit, the distal section having openings to allow the oil to flow into the drill string; a holding section adjacent the distal section, the holding section operatively coupled to the skirt at the indentation, such that rear ends of the rods are farther away from the distal section than the front ends, the internal edge segments of the skirt secured to each other; a movable sleeve secured about the skirt to maintain the skirt in a closed position; a release interactive with the sleeve to selectively allow the skirt to move from the closed position to an open position, an outer area covered by the skirt increasing as the skirt moves from the closed position to the open position.
 2. The apparatus in claim 1, further comprising: a. a ring configured to fasten the skirt to the holding section, the ring being secured to the indentation; and b. wherein the indentation is semi-circular.
 3. The apparatus in claim 2, wherein the release can be activated by a hydraulic actuator.
 4. The apparatus in claim 2, wherein: a. the skirt is comprised of Kevlar; and b. the release is mechanically controllable from a rig.
 5. The apparatus in claim 2, wherein: a. the skirt is composed of a generally impermeable fabric; b. the rods are comprised of alloy steel; and c. the release is radio-controlled.
 6. The apparatus in claim 2, wherein: a. the rods are sewn to the skirt; and b. the openings in the distal section are created by lowering and activating a perforating gun into the distal section.
 7. The apparatus in claim 2, wherein the openings in the distal section are initially closed, but can be selectively opened via a hydraulic actuator.
 8. The apparatus in claim 2, wherein the openings can be selectively opened mechanically.
 9. A method to produce liquid from a well, the method comprising: a. providing an apparatus having: (i) a flexible semi-circular shaped skirt having a curved edge and an internal edge, the internal edge having an indentation at its center dividing the internal edge into two segments; (ii) a plurality of rods secured to the skirt forming radially emanating channels therein, the rods having a front end and a rear end, the front ends secured adjacent the indentation, and the rear ends secured adjacent the skirt curved edge; (iii) a hollow drill string having a drill bit at one end, and having a distal section above the drill bit; a holding section above the distal section, the holding section operatively coupled to the skirt at the indentation, such that rear ends of the rods are farther away from the distal section than the front ends, the internal edge segments being secured to each other; (iv) a movable sleeve selectively wrapped around the skirt to keep the skirt in a closed position; (v) a release interactive with the sleeve to selectively allow the skirt to move from the closed position to an open position; b. lowering the apparatus past a lower most point of the well into a liquid layer by rotating and advancing the drill bit; c. activating the release after the apparatus has been submerged in the liquid layer; d. hoisting the drill string towards a surface, thereby causing the skirt to open by the liquid filled therein, and plugging the well with the skirt; and e. transporting the liquid to the surface via openings in the distal section.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein: a. the liquid is oil; b. the openings can be selectively opened by a hydraulic actuator; and c. wherein the method further comprises the step of opening the windows by the hydraulic actuator after the apparatus has been lowered past a lower most point of the well.
 11. The method of claim 9, wherein: a. the liquid is oil; b. the openings are windows that can be selectively opened mechanically from a rig; and c. wherein the method further comprises the step of mechanically opening the windows from the rig after the apparatus has been lowered past a lower most point of the well.
 12. The method of claim 9, wherein: a. the liquid is oil; and b. wherein the method further comprises the step of creating openings in the distal section with a perforation gun after the apparatus has been lowered past a lower most point of the well.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein: a. the release is a radio-controlled lock; and b. wherein the method further comprises the step of jarring the drill string to ensure that the skirt opens, thereby enabling the skirt to fill with oil thereafter.
 14. The method of claim 11, wherein the release is a mechanically operable lock.
 15. The method of claim 10, wherein the release is operated hydraulically.
 16. A method to stop a flow of liquid and gas from a blowout, the method comprising: a. providing an apparatus having: (i) a flexible semi-circular shaped skirt having a curved edge and an internal edge, the internal edge having an indentation at its center that divides the internal edge into two segments; (ii) a plurality of rods secured to the skirt forming radially emanating channels therein, the rods having a front end and a rear end, the front ends secured adjacent the indentation, and the rear ends secured adjacent the skirt curved edge; (iii) a coiled tubing drilling string having a drill bit at one end, and the skirt operatively coupled to a rigid part of the string such that rear ends of the rods are farther away from the drill bit than the front ends, and the internal edge segments being secured to each other; b. lowering the apparatus past a lower most point of the well into a liquid layer by rotating and advancing the drill bit, the advancement being at a speed greater than the speed of the gushing outflow; c. jarring the coiled tubing, allowing the skirt to open and to move back towards a surface, thereby filling the skirt with oil and plugging the well with the open skirt; and d. filling the well and drill string with mud and cement to permanently seal the well.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein a. a movable sleeve is selectively wrapped around the skirt to keep the skirt in a closed position, before the string is pushed into the well; and b. wherein the sleeve is selectively manipulated after the apparatus is lowered into the liquid layer beneath a lower most point of the well to enable the skirt to open.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the movable sleeve is mechanically operable from a rig.
 19. The method of claim 17, wherein the movable sleeve is a radio controlled lock that can be opened with a radio controller.
 20. The method of claim 17, wherein: a. the movable sleeve is manipulated using a hydraulic actuator; b. the liquid is oil; and wherein c. the skirt is lowered past a lower most point of the well at a speed which is only slightly greater than the speed of the outflow. 